Todd Walsh said on the TV broadcast Tuesday night that Doan stood up to his mistakes during the horrible road goal-less streak (truth is the whole team has been an abomination during this road trip and it's far from Doan's fault). It was Doan that was a hitting machine. It was Doan that was illegally kneed without penalty during the worst officiated game in the last 25 years. It was Doan that scored the goal to end the streak. On his second goal, it was Doan that kept it in the offensive zone during a massive scrum at the blue line, let alone being the one to put it home.

The Coyotes won every aspect of the game versus the Kings except the one that matters. This game extended the losing streak and ended it at the same time. After Doan's effort, this team won't let him down. The goal-less streak is over and so will the losing be.

Whatever you are doing Thursday or Monday, try to get to a Coyotes game. They are currently tied for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, but that could change Wednesday night. Their next two home games are against the sixth and seventh seeds. With a team that averages less than a road win per month, these home games are huge before another road trip.

If I'm wrong and they lose these two games, it's not over, but there's will be a very large woman with a microphone in her hand.

Every year we hear the same excuses as to why they couldn't get the bracket right. They use phrases like "the pod system" and "bracket challenges" to explain why some teams are located in one spot on the bracket. They tell us they want to avoid rematches in the first round, yet we have one. They say you have to earn the right to play close to home yet Cal is playing in San Jose as a 12-seed.

I'm convinced that one of two things are true: either the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee watches little all year and convenes in Indianapolis with their pants down or the rules put forth by the NCAA are just stupid and out-dated.

If the Accenture Match Play Championships can figure it out every year in Tucson then so can the NCAA. Just seed the teams 1-64 with the one seed going to the nearest sight to them and go straight down the list.

The Cowboys earned a five-seed and should be playing a proper 12-seed. The Ducks are at worst a 10 and should be a nine. Disagree? Name 40 schools better than Oregon. You can't. A 12-seed means the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee thinks there are between 44 and 47 schools better than Oregon.

You choose NCAA...is it your committee guidelines that are clueless or is it the members?

He earned an extension, not a forced resignation with a 42-16 record the past two years and two straight trips to the NCAA tourney. I hate even writing this because I consider Russ Pennell a friend, but I would have done the same thing if I was Grand Canyon University. If I have a chance as a Division II school making the huge transition to Division I to hire an NBA assistant coach with 14 years experience as a player in the town he became famous, I say 'yes' and deal with the ramifications of my decision later. I would have felt crappy while doing it but it's rare you get a chance like this.

Dan Majerle is a legend in this town. He will have instant cache walking into any young man's home in the state and through most of the west. I believe Dan is not doing this for any other reason than he loves coaching. He has wanted to be a head coach for the last few years. I'm sure he also has some extra motivation to show some other decision makers in the area that he can be a head coach.

It's the right move for Grand Canyon. It's the right move for Dan Majerle. It's just the dirty side of college basketball that a good coach like Pennell gets fired -- excuse me -- resigns when everything he's done is exactly what was needed. Best of luck to both men.

Fifteen minutes of good conversation does not mean the Arizona Cardinals' quarterback issues have been solved, but I love the signing.

You're getting a guy who knows Arians' offense, yet has a ton to prove. Normally that means he hasn't done anything to earn a job somewhere else, but I don't think that's true here.

He had one year in Detroit and they had the first pick in the draft the next year. They chose Matthew Stafford. Then he went to the Jets to compete for the job, but they signed Tim Tebow without benching Mark Sanchez. He then went to Indy, but they drafted Andrew Luck. This is his first time truly competing for a job as a young player -- but not a rookie.

I'm not saying the Cardinals are going to go to the playoffs. I just don't think the quarterback position will be an abomination.

Ian Kennedy is the exact same person he was last year and yet, he's totally different. Good for the D-backs, bad for the division.

I told him Tuesday that I thought he was going to be the difference between a Diamondbacks team that battles the Giants all year or a team that struggles to be .500. For the first time, he embraced the pressure. Kennedy has never run from the pressure. He's not mentally weak, but I've never seen him do anything but "just deal with the pressure." Now, he understands having a desire for pressure, relieves it from others.

An ace of a staff doesn't just win games. His production gives everyone in the clubhouse confidence. A manager knows he can go to his pen earlier with the #5 because the ace is going tomorrow. He also has a tremendous advantage over the other manager because he knows he only has to play for one or two runs. The #2 is pushed to keep up with the ace as a competitor but not save the team because the ace is struggling. If the 2011 Kennedy is on the mound, the National League West will be the second-best division in baseball.

2) ROB KLINKHAMMER

If you type "Rob" into Google, your first option is Rob Gronkowski. "Rob K" gives you Rob Kardashian. By scoring two goals in his two games as a Coyote, Klinkhammer has become the most popular "Rob Kl" in the world.

Ten hits, two goals and two wins for the Coyotes without a change in attitude from Klinkhammer. He's not a kid though. He's 26, so there's some maturity and immediacy. Klinkhammer knows he's running out of chances to stick in the NHL. There's still a long way to go, but he's sticking for now.

3) KEVIN KOLB

What a mistake you're making. I don't know if this is on you, your agent, your wife, but someone is screwing this up. No matter what you think of your worth, no matter how mad you are at the offensive line put on the field by Ken Whisenhunt, your future is brighter here.

You have three choices: Jets, Jaguars or Cardinals. If you're choosing either of the other two teams you haven't been paying attention to the rest of the league. If you're going somewhere other than those three, you've mentally checked out and you're accepting your plight as a backup QB. Kolb will make more money and have 0% chance for success somewhere else. I know he's only got a 30% chance of success with Arizona, but...

4) JARED DUDLEY

Every time we talk to him on the Doug and Wolf Show, I sit in amazement of why so few athletes get it. Do whatever you can to listen every Tuesday when he joins us. If the kids are out of school, make sure they listen. Every answer is intelligent and honest with insight -- yet he never throws anyone under the bus.

He told us Tuesday he was on the bus on the way to the team hotel. I asked him if he could still talk with all the guys around. I meant it as a joke because of years past when we would talk to Grant Hill on the bus and Dudley would be chirping behind him during the conversation. Jared took it differently, thinking I meant he wouldn't be as open if his teammates could hear him. "It's no problem. I would never say anything to you guys that I haven't already talked to them about."

Leadership comes in many forms. Dudley defines it.

Quite a few people are quick to give Sarver credit for deciding against giving Amaré Stoudemire a max contract. Amare's career might be over. If it isn't, it's terribly expensive for the Knicks to be paying him not to play. Almost all player contracts are insured against injury, but no insurance company would insure Amare's knees. Only the Knicks were willing to accept the risk.

I think Sarver deserves credit as well and has been proven right, however, I think he's getting too much praise. If Sarver had given Amaré the max, he wouldn't have signed Hakim Warrick, Channing Frye, Josh Childress and Hedo Turkoglu to long-term deals.

If we want to praise Sarver for not signing Amaré now that he's not playing for the Knicks, what should we say for the lack of contributions from Warrick, Frye, Childress or Turkoglu?

2) TOM CREAN

You just won. Why in the world is that the time to go after an opposing assistant coach?

If that coach really wrecked your program, it was three years ago when he was an employee. You've had enough time to fix the damage.

Jeff Meyer was an Indiana assistant under Kelvin Sampson and Sampson did wreck the IU program. Crean has had plenty of time to take out his frustration on Meyer yet does it now. Meyer is now in charge of recruiting the state of Indiana for Michigan. Although I'm guessing, the only reason this much emotion comes from a coach in a win is if there's a battle going on for a player in Indiana and Crean believes rules have been broken that he won't say publicly.

3) ADAM JONES

It was a huge thrill to be at Chase Field Sunday for USA vs. Canada in the World Baseball Classic. I love being a father and bringing my daughters to events like that so they can experience the thrill of cheering for Team USA, and Jones made it worth it.

The Orioles center fielder came through with a clutch 7th inning two-run double while playing a spectacular outfield. I hope his career continues on a positive trend.

4) STEVE KEIM

Normally on a day with big moves that hurt one of our local teams, I lose it. I'm tired of every Phoenix competitor making big moves while we sit on our hands, but this year it's different.

I'm not upset because it's the wrong time for the Cardinals to make a splash. This team is so far away from competing for a championship that it would be a waste of cap space and/or future picks to make a dramatic move. All Arizona needs is a QB, RB, LT, LG, RG, DE, ILB, SS and a CB opposite Patrick Peterson. I'm pretty confident there isn't a trade in the world that will bring in that haul. This team can only be fixed in the draft.

Any anger you have towards the Cardinals as the 49ers and Seahawks get better is justified. Just be happy Michael Bidwill was angry too and made changes.

Nobody gets love after a loss, but Phoenix backup goalie LaBarbera deserves it. The Ducks outshot the Coyotes 18-9 in the first two periods, but LaBarbera only allowed one goal on great passing leaving him no chance. Anaheim's scoring chances in the first 15 minutes were too many to count yet LaBarbera earned his keep. A power play was nullified by a bad tripping call on Shane Doan that eventually led to a penalty shot and LaBarbera was a wall.

Anaheim has only lost one game at home, the same number of goals allowed by LaBarbera last night in their house.

2) Sebastian Telfair

I completely understand the emotions of Telfair. He spoke to Arizona Sports 620's Craig Grialou after Toronto's shoot-around and was very bitter being traded by the Suns. He's fired up because Kendall Marshall didn't earn away his playing time. Telfair's right for the playground and wrong when it comes to common sense.

You can't get me to believe the Suns management are such ignorant fools that they actually believe Marshall is playing better basketball than Telfair. However, I don't understand how anyone can be confused about the goal of this year. Who in the world thinks Telfair is part of the future? I'm the one who hated the Marshall draft pick. I don't think he'll ever amount to anything in the NBA. What you can't do, however, on a 21-win team is keep rookies on the bench. He must play to see if he has a future.

Not a smart move for Telfair to whine because he's a stop-gap guard while you're waiting for the next guard to step up. Now, why bring him into your franchise if he's just going to blast your organization when it's time to move him? If you want to show up your former franchise, beat them. Telfair spoke much more intelligently playing against the Suns than he did talking about them.

3) Lindsey Hunter

I knew the Suns would be bad this year, so I judged the coaching staff on two things: energy and development. Under Alvin Gentry, the Suns laid one egg where the guys didn't show up -- in a 40-point loss in Detroit. Although I did see some development, it was minuscule.

So far with Hunter, there have been four huge eggs. If you're scoring at home, that's one egg in 41 games for Gentry and four eggs in 20 games for Hunter.

4) Los Angeles Lakers

OUCH!!

I can't say we didn't expect it. Almost everyone and their mother knew L.A. would win in New Orleans. The Lakers won in New Orleans so there shouldn't be anything to report.

The catch is the Lakers finished the last 6:21 of the game on a 20-0 run. Most of it was Kobe offensively, but all of it was the team defensively. Holding any NBA team scoreless in their building for six and a half minutes is nearly impossible considering it's the last minutes of the quarter and you assume there will be some free throws.

The Lakers need to finish out of the playoffs for the Suns to get an extra lottery pick. Wednesday night's come-from-behind win over the Hornets hurt.

1) BEN MCLEMORE

I'm always going to be a college basketball junkie. This year, however, I'm intently studying the candidates for early draft picks. Ben McLemore shined Saturday night.

Most people have watched McLemore for Kansas this year. There's been no doubt he's got the talent to be the best player in college basketball. The risk with drafting McLemore has been his fear for taking over the game. KU is the rare program that starts four seniors, yet is an elite team. McLemore has struggled as a freshman on a team of seniors despite being the most talented player in the country. Against Iowa State, he was very hesitant. I'm guessing Coach Bill Self had a conversation with him because he was perfect on Saturday against West Virginia. Taking shots without hesitation and attacking the defense. It wasn't just the 36 points, it was his confidence.

I feel much better about McLemore as the number one pick.

2) VANAE CARSON

I have the strange feeling we won't be seeing anymore attacking, negative tweets from Jahii Carson's mother. It's almost impossible to raise a son as good as Jahii while being a societal waste so (without ever meeting her) I'm going to assume Vanae is a good person who had a bad day.

Many of her comments were very sound basketball criticisms. The great irony is what she forgot. These are college kids. They are someone else's sons, just like one of the players is her son. You have to keep your comments within the family. Jonathan Gilling's decision to rush up a three-pointer at the end of the USC game was not nearly as bad of a decision as hers was to tweet her opinions.

Even worse, she fails to realize that NBA scouts take notice of events like that. Do you think an NBA team wants to deal with a tweeting parent criticizing teammates? Would they draft Carson anyway? Yes, of course. However, don't think for a minute that scouts won't ask ASU personnel and coaches about it as they prepare for the draft.

Good people make mistakes, learn from them and rarely repeat them.

3) RYAN KELLY

Duke's Kelly had only played in two ACC games this season. You were still honoring your New Year's resolutions when he last played. He played this weekend in matchup of the 3rd-ranked Blue Devils and 5th-ranked Miami Hurricanes. At times it looked like he was the only person playing.

Kelly scored 36 points in 32 minutes. More rebounds than missed shots -- FGs and FTs included.

Duke has not lost a game in which Kelly's played. They may not lose again.

4) JOE FLACCO

The Ravens showed you respect? It's not about the money?

Flacco sounds like a whiner. He's clearly bitter about something. Maybe he felt the Ravens didn't defend him enough when he's been ridiculed in the past. Sounds like someone who's very thin-skinned and his feelings have been hurt. Keep your eye on Flacco for the next few years. I have a feeling you'll see a guy who's never satisfied. That's normally a compliment, but not this time. He's satisfied with himself but not the way he's been treated. Those feelings never go away from someone who feels wronged, they just get buried for awhile.

1) ANTHONY BENNETT

Every time I watch UNLV, I hope Bennett stays one more year. The Suns are loaded with future first round picks. UNLV has very odd substitiution patterns with Bennett. I can't figure out if he's out-of-shape or simply patient. He doesn't always run hard but he's a great blend of a small forward in a power forward's body. I want Bennett but I want to be sure what I'm getting so I'd rather he stays in school. The Suns will be bad enough next year that they can draft him then.

2) DAVE TIPPETT

The guy never stops doing the amazing. Coyotes get embarrassed against Chicago. Tippett goes after Yandle and Doan in his post-game press conference. It was the second consecutive weak game from Yandle. Mike Smith who carried the team last year was yanked. Since then, magic.

The 'Yotes have won four of their last five. Yandle has been playing at an All-Star level. Doan had a two-goal game. Smith has thrown in two shutouts. Phoenix is now one point shy of home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

3) ASU BASKETBALL

Huge win at Colorado. Great for Evan Gordon to show the intelligence and aggression at the end of overtime while attacking the rim and finishing strong. Bachynski had stretches where he played much better than he has in recent weeks.

So why aren't I excited? Too many basic mistakes at the end of games. Coaches slowing down the pace to milk clock with only one-possession leads. Horrific free throw shooting. Point guards receiving in-bounds passes in the corner and allowing themselves to be trapped. Long three-pointers at the end of the shot clock. After two pathetic years of ASU basketball, I should just be happy with the wins when they come, but winning for 38 minutes only to hold on for dear life isn't winning.

4) JOE TORRE

Spent 20 minutes talking to Joe Torre on Monday's show. Took two minutes to realize why he was so successful in New York. He's so thoughtful with every answer. It's easy to see how his demeanor creates an umbrella over the clubhouse that makes the media so much easier to deal with. The media in Boston and New York can be relentless. A Bobby Valentine creates so many distractions while a Joe Torre defuses them before they can even start.

When the careers of Kobe and James are finished, only one will look like a man.

Kobe Bryant is the second-most talented player in basketball history. Kobe is in first place as the most-petulant hall-of-famer or hall of fame to be player in basketball history. LeBron James is six years younger than Kobe, yet years ahead in maturity.

Last Tuesday against the Suns, Kobe wanted to prove a point by not shooting the entire first half. He threw some alley-oop passes on fast breaks when he had the best shot. He made dumb basketball plays just to show up certain teammates. Do you think Kobe went to Mike D'Antoni before the game to get approval for his plan? Do you think Kobe discussed this with Steve Nash? Kobe cares about winning championships, but not nearly as much as he cares about himself.

LeBron has one championship. LeBron will win multiple. Just like what Kobe and Michael went through, the Heat will eventually have to turn over its roster for James to win more than Kobe's five and MJ's six. Although it's easy to assume that Pat Riley is the man for the job, there's no guarantee he will get that accomplished. But I assume he will because veteran players will continue to take less to play with LeBron.

On the same day Kobe was pulling his stunt against Phoenix, James set a new record for consecutive games with 30 points scored on better than 60 percent shooting. In that stretch of six games, James averaged one more assist/game versus his regular season average.

Against Oklahoma City, James extended his record until the shot clock wound down and he was stuck with the ball 27 feet from the basket. James chucked and missed. His last shot dropped his field goal percentage to just under 59. No record. That's why other players want to play with James.

The individual move would be to eat the ball and scream at a teammate for giving it to him late, therefore blaming someone else and preserving the streak. The team move is to shoot the ball to get the shot clock reset and worry about the win over self.

James chose team. Kobe chose self. I choose James.

Kirk Gibson

It's very strange how Gibby never makes eye contact with me but does with Wolf. Either I'm beneath him because I only made it to Varsity baseball, or I have a long way to go to earn his respect. Too bad for me because I have great respect for him.

Paul Goldschmidt

Goldy is one of the few laid-back people that have an unquenchable thirst to win. For so many people, their greatness is derived from their insane intensity but they miss the smell of the roses. Others miss out on greatness because they have no fire despite owning the talent. He has everything going for him yet still brings a sense of calm to every situation. It's somewhat embarrassing that I'm 41 and could learn so much from someone who's 25.

Kevin Towers

There's nothing he can say that could get me to believe the Upton trade gave good return to Arizona, yet I respect him greatly. He was walking around the moon-bounces talking to fans for two hours before his scheduled radio appearance. GMs who just made controversial trades do not walk around and face the music. Could you really see Brian Cashman walking around without security at an open-to-the-public Yankees event after trading Jeter? And no, I'm not comparing Upton to Jeter...

I asked him about his willingness to be so public. He said, "I need to be out here to wear it." Some fans came up to him upset and he talked them through his vision for the team. I even told my girls, "This is the man who traded Justin Upton." They looked astonished. Towers spoke to them about other Diamondback players and they walked away deciding Montero was now their favorite.

I think we all work better when our boss sticks their neck on the line in a belief that we will be successful. Towers has done that and is doing that for the guys on the 25 man roster. Wins Above Replacement is a fantastic metric for your true analytical meaning to a team. Wins Behind Belief may be less quantifiable, yet a confidence-building tool that raises both the metrics and the clubhouse.

Daniel Hudson

He never meant to take baseball for granted but he's human. The Tommy John surgery that might cost him 13 months didn't rekindle a fire because the love of the game was never lost. However, it's fair to say not being able to contribute to the competition threw quite a few logs on the blaze.

You could say the same thing about Hudson's maturity. Anyone can become more mature and that doesn't always mean that you started from zero. From the time Hudson became a contributor, he wasn't immature, yet marriage, surgery and rehab have certainly added wisdom which can only come with added maturity.

at Cal at ASU

great steal from Felix and spliting the 1on2

Cal can't stop Carson penetration but Carson struggles with Cox's penetration

very patient offense for Cal...trying to get ASU out of lanes

Felix has a major strength advantage and isn't using it...must be exploited

1st media TO...10-8 ASU

back-2-back possessions where Felix has Crabbe on his hip and doesn't take him

1st zone I've seen from ASU in a year

Gilling thinking too much. had a look from 22 ft but threw it off of Pateev's head

Pateev is such a waste offensively...doesn't feel the defense and missed an easy chance to spin baseline

finished typing and Pateev hits a right block sky hook

2nd media TO...18-9 ASU

Pateev with aggressive dunk off miss...I know nothing

Pateev with an airball that missed by 2 feet...I feel better

Jacobson in at 8:55...earlier than normal of late

Jacobson and JB in together...love that line-up w/ Gordon/Carson/Felix

3rd media TO...7:34

JaB just bought a head fake while Soloman still had his dribble then fouled him on way to the basket...6th grade basketball...led to a made FT, reb & 3pt

Pateev makes hook in the lane while crowd cheers...quit going away from the basket

Cal's defense is unbelievably slow...they don't recognize Gilling as a shooter

4th media TO...35-22

Pateev dunks...crowd goes nuts...yet he took 3 steps...bad officiating

college kid sitting near me with a sleeveless shirt ripped to her waist to show her whole chest...if my daughter ever...

end of Half...37-27 ASU

JB doesn't hold his post-up...allows defense to get around him...has little chance for a Euro career if that doesn't change

1st media TO...46-33 ASU

lots of fouls...tired defense...slow game so this is on the players

Pateev got hit in the butt by the Crabbe intentional throw it to yourself in-bounds...love that play...tells me all I need to know about Crabbe

refs are bad but Cal is allowing it to affect their play...quit bitching and play

ball is really sticky for ASU...no movement

Cal's defense is horrific...Montgomery is a much better coach than this...Gordon right down the lane for a layup

2nd media TO 52-41 ASU

Carson's defense has picked up in second half...as picking up his 3rd foul has become less of an issue, he's become more aggressive

Pateev with a no-look pass and a quick hedge...painfully slow but working against Solomon

3rd media TO 60-45

guy next to me on press row is about 350lbs and drinking diet coke?

ASU now only up 6 because of the bad offense...ball still sticking

ASU slowing it down and then wondering why their offense has no flow...when will coaches learn?

last media TO 62-56 ASU...offense has come to a complete stop...back to back shot clock possessions...2:30 and 1:22

quick 3 off the in-bounds for Cal...quick TO at 1:13...horrible defense for Cal's first half but Montgomery has done well in this half...good clock management

ASU still backing it out and eating clock...took 20 seconds off the clock just to call a TO...if ASU loses, this one's on Herb

CAl stayed in man off the TO...why not switch to a zone? terrible coaching...Gordon at the line

up by 3...1st one good...up by 4...2nd one good...ASU by 5

huge 3 by Cobbs over Pateev...good of Ruslan not to foul...ASU by 2...Cal TO

Cal 9...ASU 5=team fouls

22.9 sec

1-2-1-1 in bounds...fouled Gordon on in-bounds

1st one good...ASU by 3...missed 2nd

Crabbe got fouled on way to hoop...no call...poor officiating...no guts to make the call

Gilling fouled but after Carson took in-bounds pass and ran off 7 sec

ASU by 3...1st one missed badly...2nd one swish...ASU by 4

HAWKS @ YOTES

granted I'm watching it on TV but there's energy in the building

great chances a minute in...Bodeker must shoot that

Torres' 1st shift...was laughing at a tweet I got when some fan told me there wouldn't be any fireworks tonight

Blackhawks owning the Yotes crease

Vrbata...good class to check on Kane...CHI PP 14 min

Korpikoski with a great take shorthanded but Vermette blew a juicy rebound

penalty killed

defense very slow to get back...horrible defensive spacing...Stallberg splits double

how did the Yotes beat these guys? Hawks have so much more skill...coaching and heart matters

Chicago's more physical which is completely unacceptable since they are the skill team

Morris completely chunks an easy 1-timer...breaks his stick

interference on PHX disrupts a breakaway...didn't see it, must have been off-camera

what a load a crap on that cross-check...never mind...saw it on the replay and I'll buy it...5-on-3 with the interference...KANE

shocked at how flat the Yotes are

bad icing w/ 2:49 left

Kane took the whole defense to the corner and opened up Bolland in the slot...it's 3-0 and Yandle just took a penalty...no other way to say it but the Coyotes are trying to win a game with their head in their ass...as I'm typing there's a trip on Michalek

can't blame officiating...KANE again...this is a butt whopping

end of 1st...4-0 CHI

didn't realize Yandle got 10min...already down on defense

better energy but still exposed by CHIs talent

Mike Smith with a great save on a shot from the point...called interference on Saad...looked like a good hit

right through the crease and Yotes miss it

OEL just took a shot...never mind...clear dive...barely a hook...good call

still 5-4 but now down 2 defensemen

big shot from Vrbata...maybe Hanzal on the deflection

4-1 CHI...if they would have played with the same energy in the 1st period it wouldn't be such a beat down

pretty wheel from Bolland and Kane

Mickalek took a stick to the face

4-min dbl-minor...crap...it was Gordon that got him...no pp

Hossa for holding...can't keep up with all the penalties

good first minute on the penalty but now can't get past a short-handed fore-check

penalty on Doan...1st real bad call

big push from Hanzal on the fore-check despite being short-handed

Toews is phenomenal...completely owning this PP...Yotes give up only a ding off the post

WOW...wrote the last Toews sentence 90 seconds before his goal...never seen someone make OEL look like that

Yandle just got completely destroyed behind the net...back2back games where Yandle has been terrible...little bit of a bad break when Doan had the chance to clear puck got stuck in the refs skates but that goal is completely on Yandle...Smith is pulled

6-1 CHI

Yandle with a good rush and 2 seconds later has a terrible turnover

end of 2...6-1 CHI

good hit by Vrbata...at least someone is out there hitting

ohh...Torres just missed a massive hit

bad headache and I still haven't watched Indiana/Illinois

haven't seen a lot of OEL in the 3rd

Great stat...32 goals this year against PHX and 12 are to CHI

Doan took an unsportsmanlike...CHI PP...been along time since Tip has seen a game and effort like this

CHI completely lost their edge...very slow on the PP

huge hit from Morris right in front of the crease...might have stopped a goal

8th CHI PP...first shot hit the post

how was that not a PHX penalty...Stalberg was going in alone

ARgh...my DVR just ran over...Jennifer didn't extend the time

LAL @ BOS

great point by Kerr on Kobe going public about Howard's injury

strong foul from Collins against Kobe...glad to see it wasn't flagrant...hate wussification of the game

Howard just got clobbered by Wilcox

Nash sits alone for 10 seconds and it takes Artest to figure it out and Nash gets a 3

3 offensive rebounds on one possession for BOS

horrible defense...no one even spotted Wilcox underneath...he dropped an easy pass

Blake at the end of the shot clock...scoop over Wilcox

Garnett controlling the paint...HA...Kerr said next box out for LAL will be there first

Meeks big steal from KG and went the distance for the dunk...LAL down 8

KG just scored 25K pt

finally Nash with the ball at the point...bad kick out though...he had a look

Nash without Kobe on the floor has the ball moving

Kobe's back and the b all sticks

Nash with the bail out jumper despite no offensive movement

Boston is much more physical with Kobe than most

great nash move to the basket and Howard simply stands...amazingly low basketball IQ

Nash made his zipper drive to Kobe but Kobe didn't flash with him...3 months together and Kobe still has no chemistry with Nash

Howard is working hard on the boards

Half-time...BOS 58-44

Pierce was there forever...how does Howard have no realization and picks up his 3rd so early in the 3rd...it floors me how anyone could play basketball for this long and no so little about the game yet have such an out-of-control ego

Pierce tried so hard to hide that elbow to Artests's head...if he hits anyone other than Artest that's a flagrant

when Kobe's on the floor, I see nothing that resemples a D'Antoni offense

great pass to Artest from Nash and he has no idea what to do with it

Lakers defensive rotation is an embarrassment

physical block from Howard...glad it wasn't called a flagrant...just a hard foul

LAL down by 13

Lee is all over Bryant and Kobe keeps putting them in but he's exhausted

almost every play is a Kobe post-up and back down...how does even Kobe think that's going to win games

Artest with the back down...there is no offense what-so-ever...D'Antoni is doing nothing

Kobe back down...again...no offense

from 4:30 on

6 passes for Bos...2p

2 passes for LAL...3p

Bos turnover

LAL...0 passes...0p

Bos...4 passes...2p

LAL...0 passes...2p off O-reb

Bos...3 passes...3p

LAL...1 pass...0p

BOS...outlet for layup...2p

LAL...1 pass...0p (Green just got the dunk and then blocked the shot)

BOS...3 passes...3p

LAL...2 passes...0p

BOS...4 passes...0p

end of 3rd...BOS 95-69 (37pt Q)

Howard in without Nash or Kobe...why Mike...use Nash to get Howard going

1 pass to Howard on the block...turnover

next Laker possession...2 passes...turnover

Howard post-up...Howard turnover

ridiculous shot from Artest

I'm done...going to bed with it 103-73...watching IU/Ill in the morning

1) The hardest thing for coaches is to know when to stick to your strengths and when to attack your opponent's weaknesses even if that doesn't play to your strengths. Tom Brady torched the San Francisco 49ers with checkdowns and passes in front of the secondary during a regular season game. Joe Flacco's strength is the deep ball. The way to beat the 49ers is simple: patient execution. The problem is patience and execution is not in the Flacco repertoire.

I think Flacco will try to change. Flacco will try to execute a short game plan and fail. In the second half he'll go back to what he's good at and hit some long shots. The Ravens will make a valiant come back but come up short.

San Francisco 27, Baltimore 24 ...and no, it's not on a late David Akers field goal. Baltimore will score late but fail on the onside kick.

2) I think Ken Whisenhunt is a very knowledgable football coach. If he wants to be successful again, however, he must drop the stubbornness. Just because you're one of the smartest football coaches in the league doesn't mean you can't keep learning. His tenure in Arizona will be marked by moments of brilliance and elements of ignorance completely caused by an addiction to following his mind over his eyes.

If you call a play that the players aren't talented enough to execute, it doesn't matter that the film proves you right. Too often, Whisenhunt would see patches of green grass and use that as proof his play worked, even though it ended up in a sack, turnover, or incomplete pass leaving a longer conversion attempt for an offensive line that struggled to protect the quarterback.

How do I know I'm right? His own former employer. Watch this video from the the Super Bowl.

After you get past the clueless stare from the guy in the middle, listen to Rod Graves explain what suits Kevin Kolb. In other words, the best thing for Kevin Kolb is to not be coached by Ken Whisenhunt.

3) Great win for the Suns this week over the Lakers. A win like that makes the transition to the new coach much easier for the players. It also shows the difference that a focused Michael Beasley makes.

Beasley can be described with a lot of words and phrases but "bad guy" or "locker room cancer" don't apply. It's a shame that he didn't bring the intensity to an Alvin Gentry-coached team. Beasley's lack of fire cost Gentry his job. That's evident in how well Beasley is playing now. If these last five games had been the norm, Gentry would still be the coach. However, if Beasley was a bad guy, players on this team would revolt against him for saddle-bagging effort until now. It's clear the players know Beasley is a different guy so they aren't judging him for his first 30+ games versus his last five. Maybe we shouldn't either.

4) Greg Jamison is not a fraud. His attempt to buy the Coyotes was a valiant effort, until a month ago. He had to know he couldn't get it done and strung everyone out. I don't have a problem with his investors wanting to wait until after the lockout. Why buy a team if you don't know all the facts about the financial future? However, soon after the agreement, proper PR is clear. You announce immediately that you are ready to go forward with the purchase of the team unless you don't have the money.

It is not in the last two years where Jamison failed all of us. It is in the last month. His holding on for dear life to a pipe dream may have cost us the Coyotes. If he would have removed himself, there would have been more time for a different group to come in and push forward with a lease agreement or taking over the old one. A good owner realizes they are a steward of the city's franchise. In Jamison's first major decision as the Coyotes "owner", he failed.

5) Please don't confuse competitive desire and immaturity. If you even think of supporting Russell Westbrook and his 548th outburst at his teammates, you've either never played basketball or you're still wondering why your old high school teammates don't talk to you anymore.

Westbrook had the ball and an 18-point lead Thursday night against Memphis. He violated an old "anti-Barkley" rule that a player posting up can't dribble with their back to the basket for more than five seconds. As Westbrook was approaching the fourth second, Thabo Sefolosha cut to the basket. At that moment, Westbrook wanted to spin into the lane and walked into a double-team. Since he froze, he was whistled for the five-second call. Westbrook chastised Sefolosha on the court therefore showing up his teammate and was pulled from the game. He yelled at Kevin Durant during the timeout. He stayed disengaged from the team during a timeout. He argued with assistant coach Maurice Cheeks (who knows something about the point guard position) and stormed off the court, punching a chair along the way.

If Russell Westbrook ever decides the game of basketball is about five players, the Thunder will win a championship. Since he won't, they won't.

One year ago today, the Cardinals were at the Senior Bowl with Ken Whisenhunt and Ray Horton as coaches led by GM Rod Graves; Alvin Gentry, Dan Majerle and Elston Turner were coaching Suns players Steve Nash and Grant Hill; and the Diamondbacks were preparing to start spring training hoping Justin Upton could lead them to consecutive NL West titles.

In one week we've been introduced to Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles, and to a lesser degree Steve Keim; Lindsey Hunter and (you could argue because he wasn't very visible before last week) Lance Blanks are Phoenix household names; and Martin Prado is here to save us at third but might only be here for a year.

What just happened?

I have no idea what just happened but I can tell you how I felt going through it. The best way to go through the week is to go through the names.

BRUCE ARIANS

My choice would have been Ray Horton as head coach with Norv Turner as the offensive coordinator. Horton on Burns and Gambo replied, "unequivocally" when asked if he was confident in his ability to bring in Turner Having said that, hiring Arians is not a mistake. He was clearly the most qualified assistant coach on the market to be promoted to head coach. Unlike other assistant coaches, he was a head coach last year, filling in for Chuck Pagano during his illness.

It is impossible to be in a room with Arians and not be swept up by his passion. Agreed, emotion doesn't win football games. Execution does. I believe Arians' passion translates to others believing in his system. Belief in what you're being told makes it easier to execute. Combine his passion and knowledge with the coup of signing Tom Moore -- who NFL personnel guru Gil Brandt told us was a steal -- makes anyone believe that the days of being ranked in the 30s offensively are over.

Great move, Cardinals.

JUSTIN UPTON

I completely agree with trading Justin Upton. I don't like this trade, however. Signing Prado to a contract extension will move this trade up to the "it's OK" designation. If you trade a major piece like Upton, I think you have to shoot for more than "OK."

In the era of drug-using athletes, stories of mistreating women and criminal arrests, Justin Upton is not a bad guy. However, through the prism of clubhouse leader, work ethic and team focus, Upton was a bad locker room guy. Let's say Upton is hurt and doesn't come in or is late for his rehab work. Do you think the guys in the clubhouse believe he's all in to help the team win? If he's throwing bats around because he went 0-for-4 despite the team having a thrilling come-from-behind win, don't you think his teammates wish he would be a little happier for the collective group?

It comes down to one thing, Justin Upton had run out of opportunities to reach his potential in Arizona. No matter how high you think his ceiling is, he wasn't going to reach it here and had to be traded.

My problem with the deal was you traded a player who will be great somewhere else and didn't get great return. Make no mistake, Upton will succeed wildly in Atlanta. The collection of players received need to match that success and I don't think they will.

Average move, Diamondbacks.

ROBERT SARVER

There are so many things Sarver has done in the past that I have completely disagreed with. Watching the Suns from the outside, it seems Sarver either makes bad hires or drives away people who are the good hires. I think years of selling off draft picks was either cheap or misguided. Fair or not, Sarver must make it to the NBA Finals for fans to ever think of his tenure as owner as worth the pain they feel.

Over the last week, however, I think he's been unfairly blamed. For those screaming "Sell the Suns," there are other moments where those shouts were warranted. Yes, Sarver hired Lance Blanks and Lon Babby. Yes, everything that happens on his watch is to his credit or his failure. This time, though, he did what we've all wanted him to do and it's wrong to then blame him for that too.

We wanted Sarver to get out of those courtside seats waving his foam finger around. We wanted Sarver to hire basketball people and let them run the show. We wanted him to stop trying to be the players' best friend while nickel-and-diming a Grant Hill come contract negotiation time. Whether anyone noticed or not, Sarver is doing that for the first time.

The mere presence of Robert Sarver in our lives drives us crazy. He has committed so many basketball "sins" that we won't forgive. I get that and I'm not asking you to forgive. For once, though, I think Sarver sounded like an under-control leader when he was on with Burns and Gambo. For once, I think we should give him credit. It's unfair to yell at him for years for being in the way and then attack his because he won't stop the train. I have never defended Robert Sarver before but I think he's doing the right thing by letting basketball people make the basketball decisions.

LON BABBY/LANCE BLANKS

I get the anger. I'm angry too. I do miss the days in our country when we could disagree with passion without it leading to hatred. Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill agreed on nothing, yet so much was accomplished because both men worked together in a hate-free environment.

I don't hate Lon Babby and Lance Blanks. I don't think they are idiots. I don't think they are liars. I don't think they are right, either. Actually, I think they are flat out wrong.

I think you can sometimes outsmart the room. There are a lot of people saying the interview process was a sham. A sham infers that this was a master plan all along. No one takes a GM job and puts together a team with the sole purpose of losing so they can fire the coach. That is absurd.

I do think they put together a bad team. I do think they thought the team was better than it is. I do think they blame Alvin Gentry. If they believed in him he would have given him a contract extension. I do believe they went into the interviews with a pre-conceived notion that Elston Turner and Dan Majerle were just as culpable as Gentry. I think Turner and Majerle did nothing in their interviews to dispel that notion.

Imagine if you spent 12 months working on a project and you don't feel like the foreman is the guy to run it anymore. Now it's time to hire someone to run the finished product. During the interviews, two people tell you your project wasn't any good but they'll do the best with what they have. One person tells you your project only needs some tweaks and he is the man for the job. Do you respect the honesty of the first two or are you offended? Do you take the third option because he thinks like you or is he just saying what you want to hear? I think that's what happened and Lance Blanks took door number three and out stepped Lindsey Hunter.

I respect their conviction. They stood and faced the arrows like no one in sports does. The problem is every potential upper-echelon assistant coach knows Babby/Blanks will pass them over for an opportunity, so they won't come here. Babby/Blanks clearly looked at Dan Majerle as a Suns legend to be feared and not as a hard-working assistant who has paid his dues. I think in their dogmatic attempt to do the right thing for the Suns, they did the wrong thing for everyone.

There are some decisions Blanks/Babby have made for which they will never get credit. It's a shame. They've made a lot of tough decisions that will help the Suns in the long run. I think this could be one of the last major decisions they will make.

Bad move, Suns.

The man Cotton Fitzsimmons told every Suns fan they would regret booing, was hoping to be the next head coach. Just as his coach had drafted him to help change the Suns' fortunes, he wanted to follow in Cotton's footsteps.

Majerle had mixed feelings because no one likes to see their friend get fired, yet there was an NBA job opening with the team he loved the most. A job as an NBA head coach that he knows he is ready to accept.

"Listen," Majerle said, "the fact it wasn't working doesn't mean Alvin can't coach but maybe guys need a different voice. We all know it's a business and change happens."

Dan Majerle, Elston Turner and Lindsey Hunter interviewed for the job of head coach of the Phoenix Suns. Hunter was selected by GM Lance Blanks and president Lon Babby to take over the position in light of Alvin Gentry's departure Friday.

"If I would have been the guy I would have given everything to the job," Majerle told me during a phone conversation Sunday. " If Elston would have been the guy, I would definitely stay on."

A source had told me that the players had been asked by management (I wasn't told who in management) what their thoughts would be on a potential interim coach. The majority of players sided with Majerle. One player even told me, "Dan was my guy," after the news of Hunter's hiring became public.

As this topic came up, Majerle said, "You didn't hear that from me." When I pushed him to let me know if that source was correct he simply said he was glad to have the players' support but was in no way angling for it.

So I asked the question every Suns fan wants to know. I asked if Dan Majerle was going to stay on as an assistant coach. Right now, Majerle doesn't know.

"I think we'll get together and decide what's best for the Suns and go from there," he said.

The Arizona Cardinals did what every franchise should do, therefore they did nothing wrong.

Ray Horton is no longer the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, therefore everyone is wrong.

Bruce Arians has been the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals for less than 24 hours and the honeymoon for GM Steve Keim and Arians is over before the press conference starts.

Arizona Sports 620 and ArizonaSports.com was the first and only media outlet to report before the interview of Bruce Arians that Ray Horton would not be retained as defensive coordinator if Arians earned the head coaching job. The report was 100% correct. The decision was 100% wrong.

It is wrong for any franchise to hire a head coach and then dictate to that head coach who his assistants will be. It shows the players the head coach isn't really in charge. The head coach and the retained assistants need to develop chemistry at best and make sure they aren't being back-stabbed at worst. Forcing assistants on to a head coach tells other potential head coaches of the future that the organization is cheap because it won't pay coaches under contract from the old regime to do nothing. Those assistants will be forced upon the new head coach where they are not wanted. The Cardinals did the right thing to allow Bruce Arians to bring in his own staff.

If Bruce Arians accepted the job despite being forced to keep certain assistants, he shows he's not convicted enough in his principles. It's easy to foreshadow a conviction-less coach's failure in the coming years. Arians was right to stand up for his passion. He clearly isn't a strong leader if he doesn't surround himself with people in which he believes.

Hiring someone who doesn't stand up for themselves is like your daughter's fiancée agreeing to change HIS name. Sure, you're thrilled to see your last name live on for another generation but you have to question what kind of man your daughter has chosen to raise your grandchildren.

I support the hiring of Bruce Arians. It's a coup to be the last team to hire a coach in the 2012-13 carousel and get the most qualified assistant coach on the market.

He's the only coordinator who was actually a playoff "head coach", since it was Arians who led the Colts in Chuck Pagano's health-related absence. The Cardinals just hired the quarterback mentor to Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck. This should be a great day in the history of the Arizona Cardinals. Michael Bidwill and Steve Keim should be applauded for nailing the best candidate outside of Andy Reid.

So why doesn't it feel that way?

So why aren't I clapping?

The first major decision in the history of the Steve Keim/Bruce Arians regime appears so blind that it takes the wind out of the sails before the boat leaves the dock.

I can't get excited about the hire despite it being the right hire. A head coach told Ray Horton-- in no uncertain terms -- that he has a better defensive coordinator to bring in the fold. Sure, if that DC was Dick LeBeau or Monte Kiffin, I'd be telling Horton to suck it up and move on. Since that's not what is happening, I'm being asked to support a great decision immediately followed by a horrific decision, leaving me stuck in neutral.

Removing Ray Horton is no different than going for a fake punt from your own 10-yard line on the first fourth down of your head coaching career: IT BETTER WORK.

Arizona State beat Navy to such a degree, one might feel unpatriotic watching the carnage. Six-hundred yards of offense on one side of the ball. The starting defense only gave up one touchdown. This was a mauling.

It's easier to describe the times at the beginning of a Dickens' novel than to really quantify the size of this win. On the one hand you beat a service academy in a lower-tier bowl game, so it's not that big of a win. On the other hand, you had a national TV spotlight to showcase a 600-yard offense to recruits while showing any teenage defenders an attacking/hard-hitting defense. From that stand point, and compared to the alternative of losing, this was a huge game for ASU.

The deep ball to Rashad Ross has been open all year. The problem has been the inability to complete the play. Ross' best route running and, simply holding onto the ball, came at a time where wide receiver recruits are looking at their televisions thinking, "that could be me." Although Marion Grice won the offensive MVP, chicks dig the long ball, and so do recruits.

ASU fans should feel great about the direction of the program. Eight wins. Beating U of A. Finishing one second behind winning the Pac-12 South. A returning QB who's excellent when judged through the prism of college and not the NFL. A returning tight end who is putting up numbers to compare to the great tight ends of the past at ASU. Grice and D.J. Foster returning to give punch to the backfield.

However, there's still so much to prove. Where is the signature non-conference win? Who was the victim of national noise-making victory? When the biggest fight of the year comes against Washington in a board room for who goes to the Vegas Bowl, there's a lot of ground that still needs to be covered.

So what needs to happen in the offseason? Here's the checklist:

ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION:

Don't talk the big game. Do it.

I guarantee some small programs have talked to offensive coordinator Mike Norvell hoping for him to become their head coach. I would be willing to bet the farm that some major schools, including recent national champions, have made a run at hiring Norvell to run their offense. Consistency is a huge key to keeping the train on the track.

If you're a major program, your major assistants leave for major head coaching jobs. If you're small-time, your assistants leave for the job before the next job. Will Muschamp left Texas as an assistant to become the head coach of Florida. If Mike Norvell leaves to become a coordinator somewhere else, it shows ASU didn't want to commit the resources to become a championship team. Sign the man to big money. Then announce it to the world every other young assistant coach thinks ASU is the place to be.

FANS:

Where do you think these revenues come from? ASU did nothing to shed the national label of having a weak fan base. If you can't sell out a 10,000 allotment of Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl tickets, why would a higher bowl want you? There are always ties between schools for different bowl positions. The winner is determined by one thing: fan support. When you don't buy tickets, bowls don't listen to the school's administration politicking for a higher bowl. It's clear by the lack of support that ASU fans love mediocrity because not enough of them want to do what it takes to get out of it.

TODD GRAHAM:

Do it again. Have a similar season again. Maybe add a non-conference road win or beat USC. Matching this year is important because you won games with great athletes. Dennis Erickson had a philosophy that he would just out-athlete you and deal with the discipline problems later. Graham did a brilliant job molding undisciplined athletes into principled, selfless men. He deserves a ton of credit but so do Brandon Magee and Cameron Marshall. This season wouldn't have gone as well without those two leaders. In year two of the Graham regime, it will be much easier from a discipline and installation standpoint, but Graham must replace the athleticism he was given.

TAYLOR KELLY:

Do it again. Read defenses even faster. Slow the game down even more. Improve your accuracy despite the fact that it's already a strength. Leading as underdog is not that difficult. Everyone looks at the underdog as "one of us." You are no longer the "long-shot" QB coming into camp. You are the undisputed leader of the 2013 Arizona State Sun Devils. You must act like the leader without changing anything about your personality. You still must be able to be "one of the guys" while all those guys are following you. No single player's level of improvement will have a bigger impact on the Pac-12 South race than Taylor Kelly's.

WILL SUTTON:

Stay.

MIKE NORVELL:

Change nothing about yourself but never forget one thing, they're 19! No matter how confident you are that your team can convert aggressive plays from inside your 5-yard line at the end of the first half, they're still 19. They will screw it up from time to time. I know it's hard but you must take the power out of their hands.

DOUG FRANZ:

Talk more ASU on your talk show. Even if the show is not a charity event that talks about every team evenly. Even if the show topics are dictated by ratings and ticket sales. Begin each season with a fresh mind. Allow the fans to lose coverage through their lack of support as opposed to going into the year negatively assuming ASU fans will never earn it.

STATE OF ARIZONA HIGH SCHOOL COACHES:

Drop any remaining grudges from the Erickson regime. It's not the current regime's fault that Erickson ignored you. He was wrong to think he was the gift of Southern California recruiting. He was wrong to dismiss most Arizona talent as not worth his time. Don't hold all of ASU responsible for the actions of a few. Judge this coaching staff on the same standards you judge yourself.

2013 will either be step two in the process of building a champion or just an upwards climb of a roller coaster with the hill on the other side.

1) The Jacksonville Jaguars only have 13 sacks.

2) No NBA player has ever averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds per game in the 16th year of their career (Tim Duncan).

3) Andy Dalton has never thrown an interception in the red zone.

4) Marvin Lewis has 76 career wins without a playoff win (2nd all-time to Jim Mora).

5) The last 15 times the No. 1 team in men's basketball has lost, 13 of those times it happened against an unranked team.

6) Over the last eight years, only one Super Bowl pitted two No. 1 seeds against each other.

7) Matthew Stafford is only 24 years of age.

8) No team has ever allowed an average of 300 yards/game for a whole season (Tampa Bay).

9) Alex Smith had a quarterback rating of 72.15 before Jim Harbaugh, but with Harbaugh has a 95.08 rating.

10) Green Bay leads the NFL with 17 touchdown passes of 20 or more yards. Read More...

1) Oakland hasn't scored a first quarter TD in nine games.

2) The New York Knicks are 33-11 in the regular season since the Mike D'Antoni firing.

3) Worst home loss for the Miami Heat's Big 3...Knicks 112, Miami 92 on December 6.

4) Bill Self has more Big 12 conference Championships than home losses (8-7).

5) Only two QBs have thrown for 3,000 yards in their first two seasons: Peyton Manning and Andy Dalton.

6) Bears lead NFL with five opening drive turnovers.

7) Chargers were 0-14 in regular season games at Pittsburgh before Sunday.

8) In 2008 & 2009 John Harbaugh had a three-game losing streak, he has never had a losing streak since until now.

9) There are eight players with more rushing yards than the Cardinals.

10) Drew Brees and Andrew Luck lead the NFL with 18 interceptions.

11) Before 2012, only two rookies had ever thrown a game-winning TD pass with no time on the clock (Couch, Stafford), this year three have done it (Wilson, Luck, Foles).

12) The only running backs to rush for 1,600 yards, 10 TDs and average six yards per carry through 13 games are Jim Brown, O.J. Simpson and Adrian Peterson.

13) Only LaDanian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson have rushed for 10 touchdowns every year in their first six seasons. 14) Carolina vs. Atlanta: Cam Newton is the only player in history with 250+ yards passing (287) with a TD pass (2), 100 yards rushing with a TD (1) in history.

15) Russell Wilson is the only rookie QB in history to go 6-0 at home since the merger.

16) Andrew Luck has passed Peyton Manning for the second-most yards passing by a rookie QB in NFL history.

17) There are three QBs in history to sign with a new team and win 10 games: 1998: Vinnie Testaverde (NYJ)...2009: Brett Favre (MIN)...2012 Peyton Manning (DEN).

18) Peyton Manning is the highest-rated shotgun passer this year with a 70% completion rate.

19) The Cleveland Browns won 30-7 over Kansas City, their largest margin of victory since winning 44-6 right before Thanksgiving 2003 against the Cardinals..the 146-game streak of no wins over 23 points was the longest in the NFL.

20) There are only four players with four seasons of 100+ receptions: Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Wes Welker and Brandon Marshall.

21) Marshall's 101 receptions are the most in Bears single-season history.

22) Ben Roethlisberger threw his first pick while being hit or under duress since Week 1 of last year (154 straight passes).

23) 350+ yards passing, 2 TDs, no INTs= Billy Joe Tolliver, Andrew Luck and Nick Foles.

24) The margin of victory for all four of Philadelphia's wins are one or two points.

25) Washington is the only team since the merger to have two different rookie QBs lead fourth quarter drives in the same season.

26) Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins are the first rookies to throw a TD pass in the same game for the same team since Dallas in '65 (Jerry Rhome, Craig Morton).

27) Washington is 6-1 with Pierre Garcon and 1-5 without him.

28) No team has ever gone 7-1 at home with the team they lost to going 1-7 on the road (Cards and Patriots).

29) Since Week 11, Cam Newton has 8 TD passes & 0 interceptions and is the highest-rated passer over those weeks in the NFL.

30) San Francisco has won nine games in two consecutive seasons for the first time in 10 years.

31) Aldon Smith has 19.5 sacks this year. None of them have come in a blitz...all were while SF brought four or fewer pass rushers.

32) Colin Kaepernick leads the league with QB option TDs with four on only 13 option runs.

33) Average starting field position for the New York Giants was the +49. 50% of all their drives started in New Orleans territory.

34) There are only four undrafted free agent wide receivers in history to have consecutive 1,000-yard seasons: Rod Smith, Wes Welker, Miles Austin and Victor Cruz.

35) In the last four Cardinals games, when an Arizona quarterback throws the ball to Larry Fitzgerald, he has caught the ball six times and the opponent has caught the ball six times.

36) The Seahawks ran for 214 yards before contact.

37) The last time Pete Carroll won a football game by 58 points was a 69-0 win over Washington State in 2008.

38) Mike McCarthy is 13-1 against the Detroit Lions.

2) HOUSTON TEXANS: Second in points scored and fourth in points allowed, sixth in rushing offense and seconnd in rush defense...now the real test, at New England for Monday Night Football.

3) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Only two QBs are +21 in TD to INT ratio and Brady has been sacked 20 fewer times with 400 more yards passing than the other QB (Rodgers)...will move to #1 after beating Houston.

4) ATLANTA FALCONS: Only team with two receivers in the top 11 in yards...5 of their final 6 is in the division with only a Giant home game in the middle.

5) DENVER BRONCOS: Opponents have lost over 250 yards getting sacked while Denver is still in double digits of yards lost...other than blowing out Oakland at home, average win is only 12 points.

6) BALTIMORE RAVENS: Joe Flacco is completing below 60% of his passes, worse than Christian Ponder, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Palmer and (wait for it) Kevin Kolb...toughest four-game stretch to finish than any other team.

7) SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Still has a Sunday Night Football game at New England...allowing only 14 points/game (yeah, that's best in the league).

8) INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: No QB has ever been drafted first overall and won 8 games, until now...keep in mind everything Luck is doing is with the 7th-worst scoring defense so he has to put up a lot of points.

9) GREEN BAY PACKERS: Every stat says they have an average defense, which is really all they need...shockingly their offense is ranked 15th as well.

10) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Russell Wilson is the 7th highest rated passer...in the playoffs right now by one game, by one Hail Mary, by one simultaneous catch, by one replacement official.

11) PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Charlie Batch...yeah, that's all I have to say, he deserves the spotlight.

12) CHICAGO BEARS: All the accolades for this defense and a rookie drove 97 yards against you in regulation at home and then marched down the field for a winning OT TD?

13) NEW YORK GIANTS: 1-3 in their last four and still has a two-game roadie to Atlanta and Baltimore.

14) WASHINGTON REDSKINS: RGIII is now the second-highest rated passer in the NFL (let that sink in)...three-game losing streak before bye that Shanahan declared time to look at 2013, 3-0 after bye with all thee wins in the division.

15) TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: Worse than Green Bay who lost the game, this might be the victim of the replacement refs in Seattle with a 3-1 finish to end 9-7...#1 against the run because they can't stop the pass (#32).

16) CINCINNATI BENGALS: Three-game winning streak leads to four-game losing streak leads to four-game winning streak...every stat says they're slightly above average and they're 7-5.

17) MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Passing offense averages 17 fewer yards/game than Arizona's (yea, that's #32).

18) DALLAS COWBOYS: After every year we're left wondering is Tony Romo a good QB...until Jason Garrett figures out how to run the ball (#30 in rush offense), this will always be a .500 team.

19) ST. LOUIS RAMS: Look out, despite three of last four on the road they could be in the middle of a five-game losing streak...for all the crap Cam Newton takes, he's better statistically than Bradford.

20) NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: Not only the worst total defense but the worst by 40 yards/game...it's great that you're the third-best in total offense but when you lead the NFL in INTs, is it worth it?

21) NEW YORK JETS: It's amazing there have been five teams so unprepared to play that this team could beat them.

22) MIAMI DOLPHINS: Cincinnati will be kicking themselves if they miss the playoffs for losing to this team...still have to travel to San Francisco and New England.

23) BUFFALO BILLS: Spent way too much money on defense to be the third-worst rush defense...8-8 is not of the question with three of the last four at "home".

24) TENNESSEE TITANS: Still wondering why they drafted Locker in the first place...after a tough start, Chris Johnson is up to 5 yards/carry.

25) DETROIT LIONS: Only two games this year have been determined by more than one possession...far and away the #1 passing offense but that just leads to stats since they're only #13 in passing TDs and just +7 in TD to INT ratio.

26) CLEVELAND BROWNS: Barely reaching 30% third down conversion rate, conveniently enough that ranks 30th.

27) CAROLINA PANTHERS: Not a good enough team to give up 140 more yards than their opponents in penalties.

28) SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: Only four wins and they've already cashed in both free wins against KC...in October, November and December = 1 win.

29) ARIZONA CARDINALS: Take a guess who's the only team to lose 300 yards due to sacks (only 8 teams have even lost 200)...the win against Philly is the only thing keeping their rank in the twenties.

30) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: I have no respect for most of their players for the fact they've quit on Andy Reid.

31) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Tell me if rushing the ball is important (#32) or defending the rush is important (#31).

32) OAKLAND RAIDERS: I don't care how bad you are, losing in December to a three-win team in your house is a joke...Nine losses yet only their third within one possession.

Although I'm thrilled we will have a 4-team playoff soon. I've always wanted a 16 team playoff. I'm not being greedy because the new system will be so much better than the BCS. I just want to implement some of the greatness of March Madness while rewarding conference champions.

I put before you the Doug Franz College Football Playoff. The "DFCFP" makes every non-conference game vital to each conference because each game determines conference strength. Conference strength determines conference rank versus the other conferences. The DFCFP improves on the NCAA basketball tournament because teams don't get in the playoff just by winning their conference. They have to win one of the conferences ranked in the top 8 (as opposed to the NCAA basketball tournament where every conference champion is in). Read More...

2) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Amazingly converting 53% of 3rd down attempts (yea, that's number one)...the only team to hold them to under 23 points is the Cardinals.

3) ATLANTA FALCONS: Second on third down at 48%...short week hosting the Saints on Thursday.

4) SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Lost Williams and Hunter for the season...will take a four-game winning streak into New England.

5) DENVER BRONCOS: Manning is third in passer rating at 104...fourth-best offense and fourth-best defense almost equals fourth-best team.

6) BALTIMORE RAVENS: The only other time I saw a fourth & 29 converted, Michael Bishop of K-State did it to my Bobcats...not going to cost you the Super Bowl but allowing 50% of fourth downs to be converted is a little high.

7) CHICAGO BEARS: Lost a starting guard for the season (Louis), their best RB has a bum ankle (Forte) and the second-best defensive player in the league this year has a chipped bone in his foot (Tillman).

8) NEW YORK GIANTS: New York has a chance on MNF at Washington to end Redskins' hopes or completely complicate the NFC East...1-0 to start a vicious stretch to end the season.

9) INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: Amazingly enough, it looks like this is a 10-win team...the -14 turnover ratio is awful but will improve as the young team matures -- meaning they'll get better.

10) GREEN BAY PACKERS: I rarely care about time of possession, but the fact that TOP is split 30/30 is weird...still has four division games left out of the five remaining.

11) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Everyone loves to talk about Russell Wilson but no one mentions he leads the second-worst offense...season hangs on the appeals of starting CBs Browner and Sherman.

12) TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: Not ready to recant that the hiring of Schiano was a bad one, but it doesn't look good for me...Martin with 1,000 yards rushing as a rookie with five games remaining and is fourth in rushing overall.

13) PITTSBURGH STEELERS: I wanted the Cards to draft DeCastro and he's finally healthy, let the mauling begin...I love Todd Haley but he had his worst day as an OC Sunday.

14) CINCINNATI BENGALS: Up and down year but starting to show signs of consistency...don't be shocked at a strong finish to a 10-6 record and a playoff bid when it's over.

15) WASHINGTON REDSKINS: Along with 49ers, only teams averaging over 160 yards rushing/game...who guessed Alfred Morris would be the fifth-best RB in the NFL?

16) MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Christian Ponder has been sacked 27 times, same as Kevin Kolb...20 plays run on third down Sunday and seven of them were third and three or less, Peterson got the ball on one of the 20.

17) NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: Worst defense in the NFL allowing an unbelievable 156 yards rushing/game.

18) MIAMI DOLPHINS: Will finish poorly, but 7-9 with a new coach, new OC and new QB isn't a bad year.

19) DALLAS COWBOYS: Last in rushing offense, Garrett must go...Dallas was only down 14-3 when Garrett called two runs over the final 53 plays.

20) SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: Four wins and two of them are against the Chiefs...I assume no one else will ever hire Norv Turner again as a head coach.

21) NEW YORK JETS: The great Rex Ryan leads the third-worst rush defense...it's gotten this bad.

22) ST. LOUIS RAMS: Only four have done it and no one since 1960 -- a rookie (Janoris Jenkins) had two pick-sixes in one game...RG3, Josh Freeman, Andy Dalton, Russell Wilson and Jake Locker are all rookies or young QBs rated higher than Bradford.

23) TENNESSEE TITANS: This defense gives Locker no chance -- giving up 30 points/game takes away the run game and allows pass rushers to tee off on young QB.

24) DETROIT LIONS: #1 passing offense doesn't score enough because of Stafford's 10 INTs and the 25 sacks against just makes the offense tread water...Jim Schwartz is too volatile to be a successful head coach; his teams are undisciplined because he's undisciplined (fourth in penalty yards allowed).

25) BUFFALO BILLS: It might be too little too late but Mario Williams is up to 8.5 sacks and could easily finish in the top 5...don't look now but Buffalo is entering it's easiest stretch of games and could finish on a strong run.

26) CAROLINA PANTHERS: Only kicked eight FGs (yes, that's last)...with all the options Cam Newton brings to the table, how have they only converted one 4th down?

27) CLEVELAND BROWNS: Allowed the most first downs by committing a penalty (29).

28) ARIZONA CARDINALS: The only team under 30% on third down conversions...Kevin Kolb is still the sixth-most sacked QB.

29) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Sorry Andy, but it's time to move on...all the talk about the defense but when you score less than 17 points/game, there's way too little margin of error.

30) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Worst offense in the NFL is backed up by the second-worst defense in the NFL.

31) OAKLAND RAIDERS: Tried to find something nice to say -- hey, you're fourth in punting average (of course you have the second-fewest punts downed inside the 20)...in your big game back you throw for 146 yards and a pick, Carson?

32) KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Let this sink in...you're worse than the Jags and Raiders

In case you don't know from the things I've said on air. I hate the BCS but I don't have a problem with the BCS formula. I just don't want it used to narrow the field from 124 to 2.

Although I'm thrilled we will have a four-team playoff soon. I've always wanted a 16 team playoff. I'm not being greedy because the new system will be so much better than the BCS. I just want to implement some of the greatness of March Madness while rewarding conference champions.

I put before you the Doug Franz College Football Playoff. The "DFCFP" makes every non-conference game vital to each conference because each game determines conference strength. Conference strength determines conference rank versus the other conferences. The DFCFP improves on the NCAA basketball tournament because teams don't get in the playoff just by winning their conference. They have to win one of the conferences ranked in the top 8 (as opposed to the NCAA basketball tournament where every conference champion is in).

Every week the BCS rankings will change, therefore changing the teams making the playoff. Check in each week and see how things have changed. At the end of the season, it's up to you to pick the winners of each game and set in motion the championship challenge.

If you want an explanation for the way my formula works, check the bottom of the blog.

Here's the playoff pairings if the regular season ended today:

16) Rutgers @ 1) Notre Dame
15) Utah State @ 2) Alabama
14) Kent State @ 3) Georgia
13) FSU @ 4) Florida
12) Nebraska @ 5) Oregon
11) Oklahoma @ 6) Kansas St
10) South Carolina @ 7) LSU
9) Texas A& M@ 8) Stanford

OBSERVATIONS:

To all the people that used to lie in support of the BCS and claim that a playoff destroys the regular season, Clemson was in last week's playoff and their loss moves Oklahoma in and removes the Tigers.

The SEC has six teams in the DFCFP. No other conference has more than 2.

I love the Nebraska road trip. The best fans in college football trying to buy tickets in a small sold-out stadium would be classic.

If Oregon wins, they have to go to the Swamp.

You may hate the idea of the Florida vs. FSU re-match. I like it because by Florida winning in Tallahassee, they've earned the right to play them at home.

It is amazing there are three games that are between conference opponents or are re-matches from the regular season.

You may not be impressed with bringing in the champions of the MAC and WAC but Big East Champ Rutgers is the only non-top 25 team to make the playoff.

Since I'll never get sick of LSU/Bama, we get that match-up again in the second round.

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN:

By ranking every team 1-124, you get a true representation of the best conference by taking the average BCS rank of every team in the conference. This playoff system makes every college football game in the country vital because it rewards teams and conferences alike.

Here's the ranking of the conferences after week 1 of the BCS and the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.

1) Big 12: 38.5
2) SEC: 41.5
3) Pac-12: 44.75
4) Big 10: 49.33
5) Big East: 59.25
6) ACC: 66.16
7) WAC: 75.14
8) MAC: 77.23
9) Sun Belt: 78.6
10) MWC: 81.3
11) C-USA: 89.92

CONFERENCE OBSERVATIONS:

The money line is being one of the top eight conferences (explanation below). The pressure on every team in conferences 7-10 is intense because every game could determine if your conference champion gets in the playoff.

At this point in the season, one non-conference win by any team in the conference could move your champion into the playoff.

The gap between the 8th and 9th conference is only 1.4 points. Meaning Kent State as the MAC champion is in and the Sun Belt champ is out. The MAC has specialized in Big 10 upsets this year. Take one of those away and Arkansas State is in the DFCFP.

The Mountain West and Sun Belt are right on the heels of the MAC. The big difference is the MAC has 4 teams ranked 100-124 while the Mountain West has 5, proving it's a harder conference to win. The Sun Belt only has 3 teams ranked in the triple digits but they're highest ranked team is Arkansas State at 42 while the MAC has 2 teams in the top 25.

The WAC would be talking so much trash if this truly worked out. Not only did a faction of teams breakaway from the WAC to form the Mountain West in the first place, but also Boise State and Nevada just left the WAC for the MWC with the goal of having better access to the post-season. If Boise State would have stayed, they'd be in but now their new conference drags them down.

Is Kansas slightly over matched? The Big 12 is impressive but it could be so much more. The 9th best team in the conference is Iowa State at #53. The conference falls off a cliff to get to its tenth team as KU is #99. If it wasn't for KU, the average Big 12 team would be in the Top 30.

The Pac-12 used to have an average in the 50's. This year it's a tougher conference than the Big 10.

PLAYOFF EXPLANATION:

The magic of the DFCFP is how it highlights the regular season more than any other system. Here's the process for coming up with the teams for the playoff.

1) Rank all D-1 (FBS) teams 1-124 (from Alabama to Southern Miss)

2) Rank all the conferences 1-11 based on the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.

3) Reward the first place team in the top 8 conferences with an automatic bid.

WEEK 3

1. Kansas St
2. Alabama
3. Stanford
4. Nebraska
5. Rutgers
6. Florida State
7. Utah State
8. Kent State

4) Independents—this means you Notre Dame—get no special treatment. If you're not in a conference, earn a wild card bid or join a conference.

5) Select 8 wild-card teams based on BCS rank excluding those already selected with an automatic bid.

WILDCARDS

1. Notre Dame
2. Georgia
3. Florida
4. Oregon
5. LSU
6. Texas A&M
7. South Carolina
8. Oklahoma

6) Rank the 16 teams based on BCS rank with no regard to status as an automatic qualifier or wild-card entry. The tournament would follow a bracket format. Although re-seeding would be a better way to reward the regular season, nothing is better than filling out a basketball bracket and I want that momentum and attention on college football.

7) First two rounds are at the home of the better seed.

8) Final Four and Championship game are played at a rotation among Fiesta, Cotton, Sugar, Rose.

I'm aware that after the first two rounds there are three games left at neutral sites with four bowl game hosts. This is leverage in case the Rose wants to stick to tradition. If they duck out I've got three games and three bowls. If the Rose does want to stay involved, there would be a new bowl game created for the two teams that just missed out on the playoff. This week would be Clemson vs Oregon State.

I give you the extra bowl game just to prove that the bowls don't have to die. Clemson vs Oregon State is still a great college football game with great fans.

We wouldn't have 35 bowl games anymore -- sorry Pinstripe Bowl -- but some of the big ones with tradition don't have to go anywhere. If you're an Arizona or Arizona State fan are you saying you wouldn't go to the Holiday bowl against Oklahoma State? You'd still get the benefit of extra practices to prepare for your bowl game. Players would still get to enjoy the goodies they receive for participating. As for the fans, we get a real champion.

Feel free to ask me any questions or give me your opinions and I'll put it in the mailbag: doug@ktar.com

I can't help but go down that path after a weekend of watching ASU's Jahii Carson. I want to see more and I'm going to embrace watching him much sooner than I did James Harden. It took way too long for me to come around on Harden after watching him early in his career.

I thought he was aloof. I found out later it he had a strong competitive fire but didn't see the need to show it just to prove he had it.

I thought Harden seemed arrogantly bored. I realized he simply had extreme patience.

I thought he just didn't care. I learned what he didn't care about was what I thought or anyone else who didn't see him for who he was, and is. James Harden only cared about what his family, teammates and coaches thought. He wasn't out to impress.

About a year and half into his time at ASU, it became clear to me people close to James Harden weren't blowing smoke when they told me so many good things about him. I completely embraced watching him during his last 10 games at ASU. He didn't lose anything by my lack of recognition of what made him great. I did.

Why did I just take three minutes of your life writing about James Harden in a piece about Jahii Carson? Simply, I don't want you to make the same mistake I did.

Carson is a fiery point guard. He reads when to score and when to create for others. Every decision he makes is based on the defense and not on what he wants to do for himself. As ASU associate head coach Dedrique Taylor told you and me in the postgame Saturday night, "when the bright lights of the stage turn on, Carson shines brighter."

There's really nothing similar between the game and the personality of Harden versus Carson, except this: both players are having or will have an impact on the NBA.

I will not make the same mistake again. I'm getting to Wells Fargo Arena much more often this year to watch Carson play before I have to pay NBA prices to see him. I hope to see you there.

In case you don't know from the things I've said on air. I hate the BCS but I don't have a problem with the BCS formula. I just don't want it used to narrow the field from 124 to 2.

Although I'm thrilled we will have a 4-team playoff soon. I've always wanted a 16 team playoff. I'm not being greedy because the new system will be so much better than the BCS. I just want to implement some of the greatness of March Madness while rewarding conference champions.

I put before you the Doug Franz College Football Playoff. The "DFCFP" makes every non-conference game vital to each conference because each game determines conference strength. Conference strength determines conference rank versus the other conferences. The DFCFP improves on the NCAA basketball tournament because teams don't get in the playoff just by winning their conference. They have to win one of the conferences ranked in the top 8 (as opposed to the NCAA basketball tournament where every conference champion is in).

Every week the BCS rankings will change, therefore changing the teams making the playoff. Check in each week and see how things have changed. At the end of the season, it's up to you to pick the winners of each game and set in motion the championship challenge.

If you want an explanation for the way my formula works, check the bottom of the blog.

Here's the playoff pairings if the regular season ended today:

16) Utah State @ 1) Notre Dame
15) Kent State @ 2) Alabama
14) Rutgers @ 3) Georgia
13) Nebraska @ 4) Florida
12) South Carolina @ 5) Oregon
11) Clemson @ 6) Kansas St
10) FSU @ 7) LSU
9) Texas A& M @ 8) Stanford

OBSERVATIONS:

Obviously, the current system proponents try to say a playoff destroys the integrity of the regular season. Not true it enhances it. How did Alabama's loss to LSU in 2011 hurt them last year? It didn't. In the DFCFP, Alabama goes from playing the WAC champion to hosting a top 25 team.

The SEC has six teams in the DFCFP. No other conference has more than two.

I love the Nebraska road trip. The best fans in college football trying to buy tickets in the Swamp would be classic.

The irony of the ol' ball Coach, who shook up the SEC by throwing the ball everywhere 25 years ago, coaching against the newest young innovator in Chip Kelly is the story of the first round.

If Oregon wins, they'd have to go to Spurrier's alma mater.

Since I'll never get sick of LSU/Bama, we get that match-up again in the second round.

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN:

By ranking every team 1-124, you get a true representation of the best conference by taking the average BCS rank of every team in the conference. This playoff system makes every college football game in the country vital because it rewards teams and conferences alike.

Here's the ranking of the conferences after week 1 of the BCS and the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.

1) SEC: 36
2) Big 12: 37
3) Pac-12: 45.59
4) Big 10: 48.25
5) Big East: 60.25
6) ACC: 64.17
7) WAC: 76.43
8) MAC: 77.62
9) Sun Belt: 77.7
10) MWC: 82.1
11) C-USA: 93.5

CONFERENCE OBSERVATIONS:

The money line is being one of the top eight conferences (explanation below). The pressure on every team in conferences 7-10 is intense because every game could determine if your conference champion gets in the playoff.

At this point in the season, one non-conference win by any team in the conference could move your champion into the playoff.

The gap between the 8th and 9th conference is only 0.08 points. Meaning Kent State as the MAC champion is in and the Sun Belt champ is out. The MAC has specialized in Big 10 upsets this year. Take one of those away and Arkansas State is in the DFCFP.

The Mountain West and Sun Belt are right on the heels of the MAC. Boise State is ranked higher than Kent State but the overall rating of the teams in the MAC keeps their champ in the playoff. The big difference is the MAC has 3 teams ranked 100-124 while the Mountain West has 5, proving it's a harder conference to win.

The WAC would be talking so much trash if this truly worked out. Not only did a faction of teams breakaway from the WAC to form the Mountain West in the first place, but also Boise State and Nevada just left the WAC for the MWC with the goal of having better access to the post-season. If Boise State would have stayed, they'd be in but now their new conference drags them down.

Is Kansas slightly over matched? The Big 12 is impressive but it could be so much more. The 9th best team in the conference is WVU at #50. The conference falls off a cliff to get to its tenth team as KU is #101. If it wasn't for KU, the average Big 12 team would be in the Top 30.

The Pac-12 used to have an average in the 50's. This year it's a tougher conference than the Big 10.

PLAYOFF EXPLANATION:

The magic of the DFCFP is how it highlights the regular season more than any other system. Here's the process for coming up with the teams for the playoff.

1) Rank all D-1 (FBS) teams 1-124 (from Alabama to Southern Miss)

2) Rank all the conferences 1-11 based on the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.

3) Reward the first place team in the top eight conferences with an automatic bid.

WEEK 3

1. Georgia
2. Kansas St
3. Stanford
4. Nebraska
5. Rutgers
6. Florida State
7. Utah State
8. Kent State

4) Independents—this means you Notre Dame—get no special treatment. If you're not in a conference, earn a wild card bid or join a conference.

5) Select 8 wild-card teams based on BCS rank excluding those already selected with an automatic bid.

WILDCARDS

1. Notre Dame
2. Alabama
3. Florida
4. Oregon
5. LSU
6. Texas A&M
7. Clemson
8. South Carolina

6) Rank the 16 teams based on BCS rank with no regard to status as an automatic qualifier or wild-card entry. The tournament would follow a bracket format. Although re-seeding would be a better way to reward the regular season, nothing is better than filling out a basketball bracket and I want that momentum and attention on college football.

7) First two rounds are at the home of the better seed.

8) Final Four and Championship game are played at a rotation among Fiesta, Cotton, Sugar, Rose.

I'm aware that after the first two rounds there are three games left at neutral sites with four bowl game hosts. This is leverage in case the Rose wants to stick to tradition. If they duck out I've got three games and three bowls. If the Rose does want to stay involved, there would be a new bowl game created for the two teams that just missed out on the playoff. This week would be Oklahoma vs Oregon State.

I give you the extra bowl game just to prove that the bowls don't have to die. Oklahoma vs Oregon State is still a great college football game with great fans.

We wouldn't have 35 bowl games anymore -- sorry Pinstripe Bowl -— but some of the big ones with tradition don't have to go anywhere. If you're an Arizona or Arizona State fan are you saying you wouldn't go to the Holiday bowl against Oklahoma State? You'd still get the benefit of extra practices to prepare for your bowl game. Players would still get to enjoy the goodies they receive for participating. As for the fans, we get a real champion.

Feel free to ask me any questions or give me your opinions and I'll put it in the mailbag: doug@ktar.com.